Arrive at Dublin DUB Airport at 09:25 on the 27 Jun 11.Our 24-hour Casterbridge Tour Managers/Guides, Ciaran Moss (Chief Guide) and Bryan Moody, willmeet us at the airport and remain with us until our final airport departure.We will have use of a private coach and driver, while touring for the next 9 days.Dublin is a complex small city, whose 19th-century architecture conceals a modernplace filled with trendy shops, pubs, restaurants and boutiques. Long perceived to bestuck in the past, Dublin has experienced a rebirth that has brought new life to thehistoric, modern, charming, and entertaining city. Spend time wandering the Victorianstreets, visiting the incredible churches and museums, exploring the vibrancy of theTemple Bar area, and discovering why Dublin is one of the most popular destinationsfor Europeans and the world.Take an Introductory Walking Tour of Southeast Dublin. We will beginoutside the Bank of Ireland, one of Dublin’s most treasured landmarks, thenstroll along Grafton Street, the spine of Dublin’s most popular and stylishshopping district. After viewing the Molly Malone statue, we continue to St.Stephen’s Green, a beautiful 22 acre park in the heart of Dublin, filled withbeautifully landscaped flowerbeds, fountains, a lake, and memorials toimportant Dubliners. Our tour concludes with a walk around Merrion Square, amarvel of Georgian architecture known for its colorful doors and for the famous

literary figures that once lived here, including Yeats and Wilde.Discover Trinity College, the oldest university in Ireland. Trinity was foundedin 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. The beautiful campus features cobbled squares,gardens, a picturesque quadrangle and buildings that date from the 17th to 20thcenturies. Trinity College is also home to the Book of Kells, an 8th-centuryversion of the four Gospels decorated with elaborate scripting and illumination.We will view this famous treasure and other early Christian manuscripts in theColonnades, an exhibition area on the ground floor of the Old Library.For the next 3 evening(s) we will enjoy the convenience of our centrally-located Dublin hotel, wheredaily breakfast will be included.Dinner this evening will be taken at our hotel.Accommodation: Radisson Blu Royal Hotel DublinAddress: Golden Lane Dublin 8 IrelandTelephone: +353-1 898 2900

DAY 3 Tuesday, 28 Jun 11

Visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the national cathedral of the Church of Ireland. Itis said that St. Patrick baptized converts on this site. Consequently, a church hasstood here since 450 AD, making it the oldest Christian site in Dublin. Thecathedral’s design is primarily Early English in style, and features a

300-foot-long interior and a square medieval tower that houses the largestringing peal bells of Ireland. St. Patrick's is closely associated with JonathanSwift, who was dean from 1713 to 1745, and whose tomb lies in the south aisle.♫ Our concert performance will be at St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.Rehearsal Time: 1230-1300 (no earlier due to service from 1115-1215)Performance Time: 1300 - 1400Additional Information:Explore Dvblinia, a historically accurate presentation of the Old City duringmedieval times, re-created through a series of theme exhibits, spectacles, andexperiences. Highlights include an illuminated Medieval Maze, complete withvisual effects, background sounds and aromas that lead us on a journey throughtime from the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in 1170 until the closing of themonasteries in the 1530s. Another area depicts everyday life in medieval Dublinwith a diorama, as well as a prototype of a 13th-century quay along the banks ofthe Liffey. A new addition is the medieval Fayre, displaying the wares ofmerchants from all over Europe. We will have the opportunity to try on aflattering new robe or even be fitted for chain mail and a helm.Restaurant Information: Break for the Border at 18:30Address: 2 Johnson Place Dublin 2

DAY 4 Wednesday, 29 Jun 11

Discover Dublin Castle, built between 1208 and 1220, containing some of theoldest surviving architecture in the city. It was the center of British power inIreland for more than seven centuries, until the new Irish government tookpower in 1922. Highlights include the 13th-century Record Tower; the StateApartments, once the residence of English viceroys; and the Chapel Royal, a19th-century Gothic building with particularly fine plaster decoration andcarved oak gallery fronts and fittings. The newest developments are theUndercroft, an excavated site on the grounds of an early Viking fortress, andthe Treasury, believed to be the oldest surviving office building in Ireland.Tour the National Museum. Established in 1890, the museum is a reflection ofIreland's heritage from 2000 B.C. to the present. It houses many of the country'sgreatest historical finds, including the Treasury exhibit that features the ArdaghChalice, Tara Brooch and Cross of Cong, the Wood Quay excavations of theOld Dublin Settlements, and an extensive exhibition of Irish Bronze Age goldornaments dating from 2200 to 700 B.C.Restaurant Information: The Church at 18:30Address: Junction of Mary Street & Jervis Street Dublin 1

DAY 5 Thursday, 30 Jun 11

Today we will travel from Dublin to Cashel. En route we stop in Glendalough.Visit Glendalough, a former monastery in an idyllically secluded setting. Itsname is derived from Irish meaning “The Glen of the Two Lakes.” We willstroll from the upper lake to the lower lake and walk through the remains of themonastery complex, long since converted to a burial place. Although much ofthe monastic city is in ruins, the standing remains include a nearly perfect roundtower, hundreds of timeworn Celtic crosses and a variety of churches. Our visitwill include the new Visitor Center, which provides a helpful orientation thatcomprises exhibits on the archaeology, history, folklore, and wildlife of thearea.We will continue to the Cashel (Area), which will be our base for the next 1 night(s). While here, wewill enjoy breakfast and dinner at the hotel.Accommodation: Clonmel Park Leisure and Spa HotelAddress: Clonmel TipperaryTelephone: +353 52 618 8700Cashel lies in the heart of Tipperary. The town’s rich history is reflected in itsprehistoric raths, medieval castles and monasteries, fortified town houses, andGeorgian quarter.

DAY 6 Friday, 01 Jul 11

See the Rock of Cashel, an extraordinary ruined abbey at the top of a hill nearthe town center of Cashel. This outcrop of limestone, stretching 197 feet into thesky, possesses sixteen centuries of history. It was the castled seat of the kings ofMunster as far back as 360 AD and remained a royal fortress until 1101. Todaythere are ruins of a two-towered chapel, a cruciform cathedral, a round tower,

and a cluster of other medieval monuments. Inside the cathedral, ancientcarvings survive in excellent condition.Today we will travel from Cashel to Galway. We stop en route in CraggaunowenDiscover the Craggaunowen Project and an exhibit designed to bring BronzeAge and Celtic culture to life entitled Craggaunowen: The Living Past. Thisrecreated prehistoric site was created in the 1960s around the grounds ofCraggaunowen Castle. Costumed interpreters act out particular trades, such asspinning and potting, and a French slave describes how communities lived inthe ring fort, an early Christian homestead. Our visit will include a trip throughthe collection of archaeological finds from the area, housed in the castle tower.We continue on our journey to Galway.Our base for the next 3 night(s) will be Galway (Area), where breakfast and dinner will be provided atthe hotel.Accommodation: Imperial HotelAddress: Eyre Square Galway EireTelephone: +353 91 563 033This historic city is strongly associated with Irish language, music, and dance, and isone of the most Irish cities in the country. The lively and bustling university town wasvery prominent in the Middle Ages, and was the site of a nine-month siege during theCromwellian conquest of Ireland. With history, culture, and beautiful surroundings,Galway is a favorite of visitors to the west coast.

DAY 7 Saturday, 02 Jul 11

Connemara, located in County Galway, is a mystical area where Gaelic is still theeveryday language and the purest of Ireland’s cultural traditions still live on.Visit Kylemore Abbey, one of the most beautiful sights in Ireland, sheltered bythe slopes of the Twelve Bens. This lakeside castle is a romantic GothicRevival fantasy that now houses a girls’ boarding school. We will view theabbey, explore its gardens and visit the Craft Shop.♫ Our performance today will take place at Kylemore Abbey.Rehearsal Time:Performance Time: 13:00

DAY 8 Sunday, 03 Jul 11

Take a Walking Tour of Galway’s city center. We will view many of Galway’smost important areas and landmarks, including Eyre Square, Shop Street, theLatin Quarter, Lynch’s Castle, the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, the Quays,the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, and the Spanish Arch.Spend time at the Cliffs of Moher, a series of dramatic undulating cliffsplunging 700 feet down to the Atlantic Ocean, offering unforgettable views ofIreland’s west coast. On a clear day we may be able to see the Aran Islands inGalway Bay as misty shapes off in the distance. Those who choose may climbO’Brien’s Tower, a viewing point built for the benefit of Victorian tourists.

DAY 9 Monday, 04 Jul 11

Today we will travel from Galway to Limerick. We will stop en route in Bunratty.Discover Bunratty Castle, a formidable castle built in the 15th century. It hasbeen preserved just as it would have looked in the 1500s. A tour of the castlewill include the Great Hall, Main Guard and South Solar. We will then visitthe adjoining Folk Park, an authentic re-creation of life in Ireland at the turn ofthe 20th century.♫ Our performance today will take place at Bunratty Castle.Rehearsal Time:Performance Time: 11:30Additional Information: If the weather is good, this will take place outside Mac’s Pub on the mainvillage street which should attract a good audience. In the event of rain, our performance will be

moved to the admissions area.We continue on our journey from Bunratty to Limerick.Our hotel in Limerick (Area), will be our base for the next 1 night(s). While here, we will enjoybreakfast and dinner at the hotel.Accommodation: Limerick Strand HotelAddress: Ennis Road Limerick IrelandTelephone: +353 61 421 800Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland. Founded by Vikings, thecity thrived due to its position on the River Shannon until the Cromwellian conquest.After years of neglect, the city is now experiencing a rebirth, and the historic districtsof the city center offer plenty to see and do.Take a Walking Tour of the historic city center, known as King John's Island,renowned for its fine Medieval architecture.Visit St. Mary’s Cathedral. Founded in the 12th century on a hill on King'sIsland, this was originally the site of a palace belonging to one of the kings ofMunster that was then donated for use as a church. The building has manyinteresting architectural features including a Romanesque doorway, apre-Reformation stone altar, 15th-century misericords (supports for choristers)with carvings in black oak, and a reredos (ornamental partition) on the highaltar.

Visit King John’s Castle, said to date from 1210, when King John of Englandvisited and was so taken with the site that he ordered a strong castle to be builthere. Strategically built on the banks of the Shannon River, this royal fortress isthe centerpiece of Limerick's historic area. It survives today as one of the oldestexamples of medieval architecture in Ireland with five rounded, drum-style gatetowers and curtain walls. Inside we will see a wonderful exhibit on the historyof the city, replicas of siege machinery, and Viking excavations.